Thursday, July 7, 2016

Jesus Commissions His Disciples

Matthew 10:7-15 (Jesus Commissions His Disciples)“And
preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick,
raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying,
give without pay. Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag
for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer
deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is
worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. As you enter the house,
salute it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it
is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you
or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that
house or town. Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of
judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”

Reflection:Today’s
gospel has me wondering how attached am I? are you? To the treasures and things
of this world? Jesus says, “Take no gold,
nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics,
nor sandals, nor a staff,” Do you believe the Gospel (the Living Word of
God) has the power to change your life? Are you living a life that bears
witness to all that you not only speak of it, but also live it? The Gospel has set
all of us free.

We must do all we can to live a
life embracing the “Poverty of Spirit”
which frees us from the greed and desire of possessions and the preoccupation
of obtaining more and more possessions. We must make room in our lives and in
our hearts for God’s provisions. He alone will sustain us, He alone we must
depend upon completely. Metaphorically speaking, we must have enough faith and
trust in Him to jump off a cliff knowing it is He who will catch us. We must
put ALL our FAITH in HIM. Don’t do that by the way. That was simply a visual
image to help you better understand the depths of trust we must have. Common sense people.

What will you take away with you
from today’s gospel? Me? Own less? Possess less? Desire less? Want less? And desire,
want and have more JESUS in your life. I have a saying I live by that I have
been saying for 3 decades:

"You can have all this world has to offer, it’s wealth, it’s lust, it’s
things; all I want and desire is Jesus.” ~ Jim (Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS